The OCAT was designed to help nonprofits assess their organizational capacity. Ten years ago, McKinsey and Venture Philanthropy Partners developed the tool to help nonprofits better assess their operational capacity and identify areas that need improvement. It allows nonprofits to rate themselves across a range of critical areas, including vision, strategy, organizational health and human resources.
Since its launch, the tool has been used by thousands of funders and nonprofits, more than 70 organizations have requested permission to modify or replicate the tool, post it on their websites, or distribute it among their own grantees. It’s been cited in more than 20 books and college courses, is accessed online around 3,000 times monthly, and has been translated into 11 languages.
We are launching the OCAT 2.0 initiative online, beginning with a public commenting period during October that we hope will give us greater insight into the issues nonprofits are facing today and how this tool can be most effective in supporting their work. We are soliciting input from organizations and their Board Members around the world, and we are also conducting an online survey to receive targeted and specific feedback on how we can improve OCAT.
With your help, we can build a new and better tool that enhances a nonprofit’s ability to have lasting societal impact.